I first heard of the USMD French student exchange program when I came across an announcement at middle school. It sounded like a unique experience and an interesting way to spend 3 weeks in July to share our home and normal everyday life with a teen from another country. We met with the local coordinator and she matched us up with 14 yr old Felicie. My youngest daughter was the same age, and they shared common interests, so we said yes. I was a bit nervous because we don't typically go on summer vacations and I wasn't sure what we could do without breaking the bank. Turns out there are too many things to choose from once you start looking around! And we discovered there was alot of "touristy" stuff that we hadn't done which we really enjoyed! The girls shared a bedroom and were close sisters all summer. The following July, my daughter visited Felicie in France for 3 weeks. She got to experience a lifestyle and culture that is very different from ours, within the safety of a family that entrusted their daughter to us the summer before. She saw all the sights of Paris, spent time in the country, and also a week in the South of France enjoying water sports. We felt the entire USMD experience was incredibly rewarding.
That next summer we heard there were still a couple boys who were due to arrive here in a few days but were without host families. Since we had a bedroom open with my daughter going to France, we "adopted" a French son we nicknamed Tebow (kind of an American version of Thibault). He quickly became part of our family and some of my fondest memories of being a host family came from sharing our life him. Tebow had a wonderful sense of humor and adventure. He and my son got along very well together, just hanging out the way guys do. I'll never forget their Rambo movie marathon during a rainy week when all other plans got cancelled. The most memorable part of his stay was going on a family Scout campout at the lake. It was Tebow's first time tent camping and something he would never have done in France! The picture of Tebow above was taken on that trip, while tubing at Tims Ford Lake. Listening to Tebow and a troop of Boy Scouts interact with each other and their families was simply amazing. Everyone loved Tebow and if we could have him back, I would in an instant.
Our last hosting experience was a couple years ago, when 17 yr old Romaine came to stay with us. I had learned not to over-schedule, and to focus on activities that were culturally unique and showcase Tennessee. At the beginning of her stay I asked Romaine what she most wanted to do and what she hoped to gain from her time here. This helped us open a dialogue and concentrate on a couple of things from her bucket list. Between every scheduled activity were a couple days of normal summer stuff - like going to the pool or grocery shopping. I found this to be the most helpful way to keep a steady yet fun pace going. We participated in lots of activities with other host families - something that appealed to the older teens, but I also noticed in groups the immersive language experience takes a hit. By balancing the social life with family life both goals of having fun and increasing fluency were met. A couple unique experiences we had with Romaine were going to outdoor concerts and getting to meet a Cajun musician at a singer-songwriter performance. And we shared a favorite family activity with Romaine of going to the horse races. She really enjoyed this because she would never get to do that in France.
I have seen so many people experience something so unique and rewarding each and every summer, that I knew I would love helping other people connect with their soon-to-be French sons and daughters. It's a wonderful 3 weeks that goes by so fast and leaves everyone with the fondest of memories.
